Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 25:3 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 3. 3And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The genealogy continues through Jokshan to Sheba and Dedan and through Dedan to three named groups. Similar names appear elsewhere in biblical genealogies, so exact identity and modern ethnic descent should not be claimed from this verse alone.
Read It With
- Genesis 25:1–11
Read verses 1–4 and compare Genesis 10:7. The surrounding list shows that verse 3 is one branch of Keturah's genealogy, while the earlier occurrence of Sheba and Dedan in another line warns that ancient names can recur and do not always identify one exclusive biological or modern group.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The genealogy follows Keturah's six sons by tracing selected branches, broadening the family record without narrating each person's life.
Read Genesis 25:1–4 together
Why these verses belong together: Keturah's introduction, her six sons, selected descendant branches, and the closing family formula form one genealogy.
Verse 1. 1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
Verse 2. 2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
Verse 3. 3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
Verse 4. 4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
What Remains True
Genealogies can preserve real ancestral and people-group memory while leaving exact geography and modern identity uncertain.
How It Can Shape Life
- Treat ancestral names with care: acknowledge plausible historical connections, but do not turn repeated ancient names into racial stereotypes, modern political labels, or claims of exclusive descent.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 25:1–11 — Abraham's Life ClosesSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The exact historical and geographical identity of every group in this verse cannot be determined with certainty.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, thought-unit boundary, Keturah, descendants, inheritance and gifts, ages, death, burial, Machpelah, Beer Lahai Roi, Isaac's blessing, and canonical status language.
Exact location: Genesis 25:1–11 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 16:13–14; 17:15–21; 21:1–21; 23:1–20; 24:62–67; 25:12–26; and 1 Chronicles 1:28–34
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Household-status terms, inheritance syntax, death formula, fullness, gathering language, blessing, and supplied-word checks.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 25:1–11; forms for ishshah, pilagshim, vayyigva, savea, vayye'asef el-ammav, and vayvarekh
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Non-strict chronology, genealogical names, concubine and eastward language, expanded age formula, old/full wording, gathered-to-people distinction, Machpelah, and blessing without immediate fertility.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 25:1–11 and translator notes 1–21; compared with notes at Genesis 25:19–26
Open NET Genesis 25 ↗